ELVIS COSTELLO: DON’T BUY MY NEW BOX SET, IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE

Elvis Costello wants his fans to spend "Less Than Zero" on his pricey new box set.
In a post on his website, the English singer-songwriter tells fans not to buy the upcoming release, "The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook," recorded over two nights at The Wiltern in Los Angeles in May, because it's too expensive.

Costello isn't slagging the quality of the box set, which he calls a "beautifully designed compendium" featuring live recordings that "find [his band] the Imposters in rare form."
"Unfortunately," the English songwriter adds, "we…find ourselves unable to recommend this lovely item to you as the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire."

The set, which contains a CD, DVD, a 10-inch vinyl record and a 40-page tribute book autographed by Costello and other tour memorabilia, is currently available on pre-order for between $200 and $300 dollars, according to various retail websites.

The "Radio Radio" singer says his attempts to have the price lowered were "fruitless."
Instead, Costello says, fans should shell out for Louis Armstrong's "Ambassador of Jazz," a 10-disk set packed with music, interviews and other extras from across Satchmo's 60- year career.

"Frankly, the music is vastly superior," Costello writes.

The Armstrong set is available on Amazon for around $150.

For Costello die-hards who must have "The Return," the singer advises waiting until after the New Year, when the music and DVD will be sold separately.

The link for Satchmo's "Ambassador of Jazz".